, 1887-05-25
WITH TIE SNAKE KING.

WITH THE SNAKE KING.
It was a sultry August morning, and
John Matson WINS up carly. lie had n
long ride before him to Pyramid, and his
young wife urged him to start with the
rising sun and return lnto in the after
noon, in order to avoid the midday heat.
TIL Matson plantation stretched for
miles along the Alabama river. The near
est white neighbor was ter miles of, and
it took three hours to reach the village of
Pyramid.
Matson and his wife stood on the broad
pinzza, looking down the sloping lawn to
tho road, where Black Tom was waiting
with the horse and buggy. Far away to
tho right wreaths of dense fog indicated
the winding course of the river. Not n
breath stirred the semi tropical foliage of
the trees, and the atmosphere was laden
with the perfumes of thousands of fiowers
and aromatic plants.
"Whnt does this meant't said Matson,
as severni negroes turned in from the road
and approached the house, bearing in
their arms q limp md motionless figure.
"Oh, John, 1t is a dead MANI ex-
claimed little Mrs, Matson.
Thu planter ran down to meet the men.
They were all his field hands, and he
knew every black face in the group.
"lIello, Sam, what is the matters What
is upT" he asked the leader.
: ITO tell de troof, murse boss" replied
Sam, n%ervously scratching his head, 'I'se
so plum done put out bout dis ting dat 1
IL muffin. Dis yer white man muss
be sickerdead, dunno which. We foun'
him down by de landin', and we Jest
brung him erlong.''
us he deadi" gasped Mrs. Matson.
tNn. but he Ia unrOnQCinna y qai1 har
husband, who had been examining the
stranger. We must take care of him, of
course. / hate to go Off to town now, but
l can't help 1t. III wait an half hour or
so and see what turns up"
The man was carried to a large and
comfortable room Inc carefully pat TO
bed by Sam and another negro. Then
Mr.: Matson felt his pulse and took a good
look ut him.
The strange looking, sallow face, lean
to the point Of emaciation, with the
tangled black hair around 1t, had n weird
look with its background Of white pill
lows. A small dose OF brandy was forced
through the tightly closed mouth, and the
man suddenly opened his eyes. They
were such shining black orbs that Sam
fell back, muttering:
10 de Lawlr'
Half an hour later Matson vent to his
wife and said:
well, | must go. Aunt Lucy Is look
ing after our patient, anil you will do
what you can. The case does not require
a doctor. Some beef tea to-day and some
thing solid tomorrow will bring the fell
low up. lie Is nearly lead of exposure
and starvation.
"But whop"-
"Oh, yes" answered Matson, you
want to know who he Is, wher lie Is
from md VVhv ha 10 fn tbfs ~ t. L. -
time to question him now. He looks like
a foreigner, q Cuban or perhaps n gypsy.
lie speaks n little English, and that is all
/ know. You need not BE afraid of him.
lie is rs feeble rs an infant, and Is Il little
withered old chap with the queerest little
head in the world. 1t is long and narrow,
IL looks more like Il snakes head than
anything else"
"Oh, John, you brighten meFr
"But 1t does" remarked John, laugh
ing, and now I think of his snaky eyes
and his sinuous motion, it strikes me that
snaky is the best description that could be
given OF him. UGH 1t makes my flesh
crawl 10 look at him. But that is neither
here nor there. When l get back III at
tend to him."
And giving his wife a kiss, Matson ran
down to the buggy, jumped in, and dashed
Off on bseway to Pyramid.
Leg ulOue, 81 LUZ as tHe Wnlte IuceS were
concerned, with a mysterious stranger in
the house, Mrs. Matson felt a peculiar
which she could not shake
off. For n while she busted herself super
intending household affairs, but finally
she could not resist the temptation to
pass the door Of the sick mans room and
look In.
There he was, swarthy and wrinkled,
aud looking more like a snake than ever.
nNla --ANN IA-.l - ~ FN
arching motion, and the little black eyes
sparkled like beads as poor Mrs. Matson
glanced into the room. AS for Aunt
Lucy, she followed her mistress into the
hall.
"De Lawd hab mussy,r she said, "but
Marse John outer stay at home stidder
trapesin' of ter town. Dat man in dar
skeer me to def"
The lady of the house said something
reassuring and went into the parlor, where
she vainiy tried to amuse herself in vari-
GUS ways.
How time drags," she exclaimed, ns
she went to a window and looked out in
the direction of the river.
Did she see a snake basking in the sun
shine directly under the Window She
looked intently for n moment 1t was q
thick, ugly looking moccasin, fully five
feet long. While she was gazing the
Nlolous lulruuer ralSeu It's head and re-
turned her stare with n look OF intelli-
gence.
1t was a moccasin in locality, and Mrs.
Matson did not care q nap of her finger
for a few snakes around her front door.
She was accustomed to find them in her
flower beds, and sometimes they made
their way into the house, but on this par
ticular morning she was not herself. She
turned her head and saw another snake
With an uncomfortable shudder the
nervous little lady walked across the hall
into another room and looked out toward
the garden. What was that lark thing
just inside the fence1 There could be no
doubt about it. 1t was another snake.
BY this time Mrs. fIatson's blood was
up. Calling Sally, one OF the servants,
she sent her out to tic kitchen to orde.
the cooks boy Joe to make n circuit of the
house and kill every snake at sight.
Joe done gone ter de fell" she said,
sam cook already killed two big snakes